Best plow for rolling over cover crops?

[candersen10]

I currently have a 3 bottom moldboard plow with coulters and I use a JD 5325 to pull it. Does anyone have any recommendations for a better implement to do primary tillage in heavy cover crops? I have been trying to use the moldboard plow in fields that are planted with hairy vetch, rye, and clover and have found that it gets clogged up way too much. I have mowed through these fields with the mower inches from the ground and still have the same issues. Can anyone recommend another implement that is not too large or heavy for the JD 5325 or a TN 75? I also have a chisel plow but it does not turn the earth over at all obviously and also gets very clogged. I have also tried running my sunflower disc through the fields after mowing but still get a good deal of clogging.

What have people tried when tilling through thick cover crops? I think I may need to get a larger tractor actually designed for primary tillage (JD 6430 perhaps). At this point it seems insane to spend 65k + another 5-10K on a tractor and a larger plow though.

 

[randy41]

if you have a heavy disc it might help to chop up some of those vines.

 

[candersen10]

I've tried this and it helps but I still have to get off of the tractor every 15 yards or so to unclog the plow. I'm going to have to probably just wait a couple of days for the organic matter to dry out but I'd like to find a solution for next time that allows me to just roll material right over without even mowing it down.

 

[wolc123]

You shouldnt have trouble with that plow if it is set up properly, and I believe a moldboard plow is the best tool to do the job you have. You certainly have plenty of tractor with either one, especially if they have loaded R1 tires. If you cant plow early before the vedgetation gets over a foot or so high, then I would mow it first. Another advantage of plowing earlier is that the plow will pull a lot easier when the soil has a higher moisture content. If your plow has joiners (little plow like blades adjacent to the coulter disks, I would remove them for your usage). This should help a lot in reducing cloggage. Make sure your coulters are out a little from the moldboards. Thier function is to cut the sod so the moldboards can roll it over cleanly. Make sure the plow is adjusted so that it will run level when your tractor has the wheels of one side in the furrow using your 3pt lower link level adjustment on one side. Also adjust the top link to keep the plow level front to back. Try to maintain a decent speed (4-5 mph) while plowing.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

One plow model in particular comes to mind. Massey Ferguson model #43 "high clearance" plows have more throat clearance than earlier models from Massey.

Attempting to plow too deep will cause a plow to plug more often than not.

Plows built (designed) "back in the day" before what is/was known as "high speed bottoms" came along tend to plug if used at speeds above 3-1/2 to 4 MPH. They just don't work well at higher ground speeds. After the mid-1950's plows were designed with more efficient, higher speeds in mind. (4 to 6 mph)

What brand/model plow are you using currently?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I am curious also. What model plow are you using, what speed and what depth?

Since you said you mowed the ground before plowing then the plow should have no problems turning the soil over. I have had problems with my older International plow plugging up but that is when I am turning over an old vineyard and the roots from the vines catch up on it. But vine roots are not a problem for you.

 

[Rara Avis]

Here's something to consider...
VIDEO: No-till roller-crimper | Rodale Institute

 

[candersen10]

What brand/model plow are you using currently?

Currently I'm using a 3 bottom model that was my great-grandfather's back in the 40s; it is certainly not a high clearance model and this probably explains a lot of the problem. However, I am only able to plow around 3-4 mph with both my 5325 and my TN75 which is why I think I may finally have to buy a tillage tractor and get a 3-4 bottom rollover plow.

The reason I haven't upgraded my 3 bottom plow up until this point is that everyone has been saying that they are terrible to use in light of compaction issues and erosion etc. What I am now doing, however, is chisel plowing in the fall and late summer before I plan my cover crops, and using the moldboard plow in the spring. This way I reduce my fuel usage in the spring due to rolling over of the soil which allows for an almost immediate planting as opposed to chisel plowing which then requires several runs through with the disc initially, and then a week or two of no usage as the weed seeds germinate and then get disced again before my plantings.

As for the no-till thing that is being done at the Rodale institute, my father and I worked with a Penn State professor last year and did not have great luck with no-till because we are farming organically and without any herbicide use you get a fair amount of weeds coming up through the cover-crop mulch that results from the roller. The roller is certainly a cool piece of equipment, but I also don't think it chops up the hairy vetch, rye, and clover enough to allow one to moldboard right through it.

Thanks for all the responses. At this point I have simply mowed down my cover crops to about an inch off of the ground with my 10 foot mower and am letting them dry out for a day or two. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to moldboard.

 

[downslope]

You mention hairy vetch, rye and clover. Of the three I would expect the vetch to present the biggest problem, especially if you let it grow into a big tangled mass.

You should be able to plow standing rye under without too much problem, even if it's quite tall. If the rye has started to lodge or fall over and get tangled you may have a problem. I have had success plowing standing rye with no coulters or jointers, just coverboards on the plow; no disking or mowing first, it never seems to help unless you really disk it to shreads. A flail mower would work a lot better than a rotary cutter, especially with mature vetch.

If you decide to disk first always disk in the same direction you will be plowing, this will lay the rye down so that the plow does not try to stand it up again and get tangled. Of course you can't do this if you get a rollover plow. I have always ended up with a worse job using a rollover on tall rye. The onland tractor wheel will roll the rye in one direction and then when you flip the plow to return on the next pass it trys to stand the rye up again and cause a tangle.

If you weren't organic you could use a little Roundup before plowing and not worry about residue on top. I think the main thing you can do is not let the covercrop get too mature. You will sacrifice some organic matter but will have a much easier time of plowing. You've got to kill the vetch before it forms mature seeds anyway. Also try plowing at slower speeds with the old plow.

 

[KentT]

We used to sow a lot of hairy vetch as a cover crop because it was nitrogen-fixing and grew so fast. But, we used a disc plow to turn it under, not a moldboard plow. A disc plow, like shown below, has no coulter or anything in front of the cutting disc, so nothing is dragging through the foliage to create a tangle. Since they rotate forward they tend to push the vining stems down then slice them -- similar to a HUGE coulter. They work quite well -- unless you have rreal ocky soil where they tend to ride up and over the rocks...

IMO, nothing cuts thick sod and heavy vegetation like a good, heavy disc plow....